ultimate hobby setup

[PATheron]

Wondering about everyones idea of the ultimate just for fun sugaring setup it you didnt care about making any money at it. This is mine. Sugarhouse right at the bottom of a nice hill of sugarmaples. Small sugarhouse, rough cut, metal roof with lights and a concrete floor. 2 by 6 or a 3 by 8 evaperator straight up no frills wood. Headtank right behind the shed with couple hundred taps running directly into it. Bunch of nice big trees right around the shed with buckets on them done. Only other thing running water so you could hose out the headtank everyday and a little filter press. Thats what Im doing when Im done sugaring as a business. Tap enough trees you always have fresh sap. Have a good time boiling with your buds and when you get sick of boiling quit firing and let the sap run on the ground and wait for more tomarrow. That would be livin. Theron

[Gary R]

Gee, it sounds just like my place I think a block arch under a lean to with about a 2X4 flat pan. about 10 big yard trees.

[Jeff E]

Theron,
Sounds like the musings of all serious syrup makers at the end of the season.
We have short memories because we start working on additional trees by fall!

The downhill set up is the ticket. I would take my woods, but put the highway at the bottom of the hill, so I would have the house and power and water down there. That way I could gravity feed my lines right to the storage tanks. Right now it is all pumped uphill. Works OK as long as I drain pump lines on freezing nights. An additional 45 minutes of work when I dont want any additional work!

I would still go with vacuum and the RO. I just love effeciency!

[lew]

theron, I don't think thatwould be possible for me. I once had 8,000. then i got a "REAL" job and cut back to a "hobby" operation of 900 just to keep me satisfied during the sugaring season. Well, that lasted one season and I was going nuts. I'm now back up to about 4,000 with CDL 2400 RO, a 3,500 gallon tank truck, adding computer assisted monitioring system to big woods, building a new cream machine, etc. NOW this is starting to be a fun HOBBY. Just 4-5000 more taps and I will be satisfied. Over 10,000 is a business and I would have to hire someone to help. Bigger, better, faster.

[spud]

I don't know how you sleep at night knowing there is still 4-5000 taps to be had and their not being tapped. I had to leave 1500 taps behind last season due to time and money and it was killing me to see them not tapped. I am now setting up that section of woods and already got my eye's on the neighbor's woods.

Spud

[Sunday Rock Maple]

Great Post!

A hobby is fun, a business is exciting, the space between the two is called "MISERY".

But to answer the question, 200 buckets gathered on a gentle southern slope with a pair of matched Belgians and boiled on a 2 by 6 Vermont evaporator (Made in Ogdensburg NY).

[PATheron]

I really love the thrill and anticipation of all those trees hooked together and the hope of always making more syrup too. I just think it would be so much more fun setting up the hobby setup knowing what I know now instead of what I knew back when I was hobbying. I really like the idea of the sap line running right into the head tank and just light the fire and start boiling. Buckets are pretty darn fun too on big trees. Ive actually thought about going behind my house and taking say 100 taps off line. Theres quite a few hollow problem ones there, and run them right off the hill and put my little single releaser and a real little dairy pump and have it dump right in a little head tank and get a little evaperator and see how much syrup my kids could make. The wood smoke would smell good too. Make a little shed for them. If they hit a hollow spot they could just bore another hole. Tree isnt too valuable anyway. Make better kids trees. Theron

[lew]

Spud,

I didn't say they were available. I need to find them. Large sugarbushes are scarce inmy neck of the woods. there are a couple of big ones on State Land, but the state hasn't opened them up for tapping.......yet.

[Pumpkin Village Maple]

A 10 by 33 sugarhourse, 2 by 5 1/2 Algiers evaporator, leader finisher, bill mason canner and everything inbetween. Been from 10 buckets now going to 200 all our property can handle. Two boys 15 and 11 who tell everyone we make the best syrup. To top it off they like the work of course I feed them every two hours. That's were I go broke!!!! I was on here as Al lost my spot somewere so Pumpkin Village Maple is still here We have a Ford 1720 to pull the sap. My wife is the perfect partner and pitchs in all the time. They only thing we can't agree on is a new Golden Retrevier puppy this spring. We have on dog but I like two.

Take care,
Al

[Revi]

We have almost exactly what you describe. We have about 300 taps that run to a tank in the sugarhouse. Check out the vid below. It is not exactly hassle free, because we had some scary vandalism three years ago. We have had some fun and made some great syrup during the 10 years since we built the sugarhouse. There have been ups and downs, but it is still a really fun activity. We even made a little money last year.